Saturday, November 3, 2012

(Venice, Italy) The high water, or acqua alta in Venice has been overshadowed by the news of Hurricane Sandy. But at about the same time the United States was being bombarded by extreme weather, here in Venice, we, too, had heavy winds, rain and flooding. The water rose to a little over 140 centimeters, or just under five feet. In Venice, we have long stopped expecting any help from the State. All the shops clean up the mess themselves; residents pull on high-water boots and tourists are forced to invest in a pair of "wellies." Then life goes on. The Venice Marathon went on as usual on Sunday, October 31, 2012, with the runners actually competing in the extreme weather.

I get a lot ofpress releases, guest blog requests and other information from companieslooking to promote themselves on Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog, and refuse most of them. But this one from AccuWeather.comis so unique, forecasting the European winter, and written by a Meteorologist by the name of Meghan Evans, that I've decided to share it with you in its entirety -- plus I think it's cool that AccuWeather.com discovered Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog. AccuWeather is a for-profit weather service that competes with the National Weather Service in the United States, and whose owner, Joel Myers, is "a frequent contributor to Republican candidates," according to Wikipedia.

We will follow up in the spring and see just how accurate AccuWeather turned out to be...

AccuWeather News

Europe Winter Forecast: Not as Harsh as Last Year's Deep Freeze

November
2, 2012 -- State College, PA -- While cold shots blast portions of
western and northern mainland Europe at times, stormy weather may hit
southern Spain, the Mediterranean region and southeastern Europe.

Meteorologists
expect Siberian cold to reach portions of western and northern mainland
Europe, especially during the middle to latter part of winter. Much of
the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Germany,
Switzerland, France, Spain and Portugal will have below-normal
temperatures for the season.

"January to February will be the best
chance for cold air coming out of Siberia," AccuWeather.com Senior
Meteorologist Alan Reppert said.

Left: The
seafront is frozen in the Adriatic coastal town of Senj, Croatia,
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in the midst of a deadly cold wave. (AP
Photo/Darko Bandic)

However, the cold will not last as long
or be as harsh as the deep freeze of last winter, Reppert emphasized.
During the second half of January and early February 2012, bitterly cold
air originating from Siberia killed hundreds of people across Europe.

Well
to the north of the active storm track expected this winter, near- to
slightly below-normal precipitation is in store for the U.K., Ireland
and Scandinavia.

"London will be mild to start [this winter]. Then
it will be turning colder for the end of the winter. That could be
there best chance for any snowfall late January and February," Reppert
said.

Farther south, a storm train will be in place for much of
the winter from southern Spain, the Mediterranean region and
southeastern Europe. Above-normal water temperatures of the
Mediterranean Sea will help storms to strengthen as they move across the
region, enhancing rainfall.

Italy,
Greece, former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey are all
included in the zone that could receive above-normal precipitation for
the winter season. The active winter storms will keep temperatures close
to normal for the season in this zone.

The above-normal rainfall
predicted from southern Spain to Italy and southeastern Europe will be
beneficial for drought-stricken areas. Severe to exceptional drought
conditions are gripping portions of Portugal, Spain, Italy and eastern
Europe.

The drought impacted agriculture, including a significant hit to grapes that will cause higher wine prices.

Meanwhile, snowfall for places like Rome, Italy, which received rare snow last winter, is less likely this season.

One exception to unusual snow occurrences this winter may be the French Riviera.

"The
French Riviera is like Jacksonville, Fla. It typically gets snow once
every five years or so," AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist
Jason Nicholls explained. "There might be a cold outbreak in France,
especially late in season, during February, for southern areas that may
allow snow to fall."

Paris may also receive a snowfall during the latter part of the season.

On
the northern edge of the storm train, more snow than usual is forecast
in the Pyrenees Mountains, the Alps and Balkan Mountains. With
above-normal snow and temperatures that will be cold enough to sustain
heavy snow pack, a good ski season is anticipated.

Across Germany, above-normal snowfall is forecast from Frankfurt on south. Berlin may receive near-normal snow.

1 comment:

The high water, or acqua alta in Venice has been overshadowed by the news of Hurricane Sandy. But at about the same time the United States was being bombarded by extreme weather, here in Venice, we, too, had heavy winds, rain and flooding. The water rose to a little over 140 centimeters, or just under five feet.

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Award-winning author Cat Bauer (HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON; HARLEY'S NINTH - Alfred A. Knopf) has lived in Venice, Italy since 1998. She was a regular contributor to the International Herald Tribune's Italian supplement, Italy Daily, published with Corriere della Sera. Venetian Cat - Venice Blog has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine, and read in 198 countries & territories, and 160 languages. Cat Bauer is a contributing editor for LUXOS Magazine, the Venice Insider for CNN and Ninemsn, and had more than 13 million views on Google+ until Google stopped counting

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